The Temples of Paestum will be turned into a massive open-air stage for the 13th edition of the Ancient Theatre Festival, which runs until May 15, 2026. This year's version will feature over 600 student actors performing classical theater acts that have been prepared during the school year. This well-known event converts one of Italy's most evocative ancient locations into an outdoor theater laboratory. The Paestum Temples are located in Campania's municipality of Capaccio, on the Tyrrhenian coast south of Salerno. Around 600 BC, Greek colonists from Sybaris established a city called Posidonia, and built the massive Hera temple just to the north, near the mouth of the Sele river. Paestum was taken by the Lucanians toward the end of the fifth century BC, during which time it experienced affluence and its greatest territorial growth. The three main temples at the site are the Basilica of Hera, the Temple of Athena, and the so-called Temple of Neptune. These structures form an unusual complex, not least because of their superb state of preservation, and are among the best examples of the Doric order in the West. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, amid a cultural milieu characterized by a strong interest in Greco-Roman antiquities, the Campanian city became a must-see destination on Europe's Grand Tour. The entire archaeological region is currently listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.